


Here We Belong

by ElectricTVLand



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Post-Time Skip, this pairing came into my house and stole my keys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22158184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricTVLand/pseuds/ElectricTVLand
Summary: After a five year nap, Byleth doesn't want to go to sleep alone.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 204





	Here We Belong

**Author's Note:**

> I know I haven't published fanfiction in over a year. Don't look at me. Take this instead. As per my usual style, barely proof read, posted at ungodly hours of the morning. Enjoy!

By the tenth time Claude had asked himself if he was dreaming, he was certain that this had to be real, but the lingering doubt kept clinging to him as he watched Byleth talking to his former students. Claude wasn't the only one overjoyed to see their old professor, the rest of the Deer were mobbing him and bombarding him with questions. When Byleth started to look like he was struggling, his hands clenching on reflex, Claude stepped in to calm them down and let the professor go free.

Were Claude a more pious man, he might call this situation a miracle.

When he stepped into the goddess tower, staring up at the darkening sky on what would have been the millennium festival, Claude wondered if he'd been the only one to bother making good on the promise. It was understandable. With the war and the monastery in a state of disrepair, who'd want to come back after five years? Who would remember? Especially when the monastery now held memories coated in a darker color. Things had gone so wrong, so fast, ending abruptly with Byleth falling to his death. It didn't seem real when Claude heard footsteps up the stairs and there was a familiar, stoic face with minty green hair to greet him. Surely he was dreaming. Byleth must have died.

Deep down, Claude had hoped– _known_ that it couldn't have been the end of their plucky professor. Byleth couldn't be held down by something like that. He had to continue as if his friend was dead, but his heart could not accept that as the truth. Never before had Claude been so glad to be wrong. Byleth is dead. Everyone saw him fall. Claude had said it many times, but finally, to see the impossible happen...

He didn't realize he'd been smiling to himself this whole time, walking back to his old dorm in Garreg Mach. Claude shook his head, muttering under his breath about how he'd grown soft, shoving his way into the abandoned dorm. Surprisingly these parts hadn't been as touched by bandits. There wasn't much of worth for them to steal, in fact, Claude's room still retained a lot of the books he'd never returned to the library, now with a healthy coating of dust. There weren't any librarians left to care, so Claude got to work kicking the piles of books and debris out of the way. Tomorrow he'd have to get to work planning anew for what was sure to be the turning point in his luck for the past five years, but right now Duke Riegan needed to think about getting some shut eye. At least he was accustomed to sleeping in a mess. 

Absorbed in the "cleaning," Claude almost didn't hear a knock at the open door, and he jolted to attention. Standing there was Byleth, silent and stoic, and the leader offered a smile. 

"Good evening, my friend," Claude spoke up, digging his heel into a toppled stack of books to shove them further out of the way. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Byleth seemed to contemplate the question, and then frowned. 

"Your room... It's a mess." Byleth seemed to disapprove. 

"You're not the first one to say that," Claude chuckled. The angered voice of his mother echoed in his memory, declaring _you'll never get a wife with a bed like that!_ Byleth took that as enough of an invitation, stepping into the room and kneeling down to lift some mess.

"I'll help you clean," Byleth said, not perturbed by Claude's sloppy living habits combined with five years of decline. They fell into a simple rhythm, tidying up the space to more acceptable conditions. Everything was still dusty and the air was stagnant, but it felt less cluttered and it was easier to breathe in the little dorm.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Claude mused, glancing over old personal effects he hadn't bothered picking up. Mostly consisting of old quills and various tools that hadn't been good enough for bandits. 

"It hasn't felt like long." Byleth sounded a little hallow. Right. He had said he'd been asleep this whole time, that the battle of Garreg Mach was like yesterday to him, quite literally. Claude turned to face his former professor, watching him carefully. Byleth's face was the same, but one arm was crossed over his stomach, grasping at his elbow, his posture somewhat vulnerable. It tugged at Claude's heart strings, and he easily crossed the distance between him, putting a reassuring hand on Byleth's shoulder. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" He had a feeling this would be answered with a no–Byleth was never the most verbose, if anything, Claude found more information was obtainable just by watching his hands. Byleth shook his head, as expected, but his hand tightened. 

"Could I stay here?" Byleth asked, soft, and something in his eyes darkened. 

"For the night?" Claude clarified, and Byleth nodded. 

"I've... been asleep for five years," Byleth explained, fingers grasping at his sleeve more desperately. "I don't know what will happen if I go to sleep again." Claude kept his focus on that tense hand, reaching out to dislodge it from its spot. Byleth shuddered, but didn't pull away, so Claude took that as a good sign, gently cradling Byleth's hand in both of his.

"I'll make sure you wake up." Claude slowly stroked the back of Byleth's gloved hand, feeling him gradually go slack. "You're not going to spend another five years in the land of dreams." The former professor didn't reply just yet, bright green eyes focused on Claude, but the hardness in his face was beginning to slip away ever so slightly. "... One problem," The leader suddenly spoke up, his eyes going wide, and Byleth's gaze grew scrutinizing. "The bed isn't clean." _And there's only one,_ Claude thought belatedly, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Byleth didn't care much about that. 

"I've slept on the ground." Byleth wasn't fazed, if anything already climbing onto the single bed. Claude took a deep breath, resigning himself to his fate, and started taking off the decorative Alliance colors that weighed down on his shoulders during the day. They dressed down in silence, Claude's mind racing more as the time to get in bed grew nearer. There was _nothing_ strange going to happen, Byleth just... wanted comfort. He wanted to wake up tomorrow. Byleth was important to the leader, so... Why was he getting so worked up? There was no reason to beat around the bush when Byleth held the covers up for him, their faded gold still visible. Claude gave one of his usual smiles, easily sliding into place.

"Agh, this is cramped–" Claude squirmed a little, the edge of the mattress too close to his back for comfort, and Byleth easily let him maneuver until they were facing each other. Still very close. Claude swallowed thickly. "Comfortable enough, my friend?"

"Yes." If Byleth thought this was odd, he wasn't making it obvious. In the dark room and close proximity, Claude couldn't see his hands for the hint he needed. "... Actually, this is..." Byleth's eyebrows dipped faintly, and he wriggled closer, and Claude's heart skipped a beat. His pulse ran more out of control as Byleth practically forced his way into the brunette's arms, snuggling up to his chest like a cat. _Oh, I'm in it now._ Claude breathed deeply, hoping to settle himself and ignore the increasingly awkward position. 

"Better?" Claude asked innocently, hoping he sounded calm enough. 

"Yes." Byleth muttered right into his undershirt. Claude withheld a groan. Just when he thought he was getting used to this, rationalizing that this must be a mercenary thing, maybe Byleth just... sleeps like this and doesn't mean anything of it. Byleth shifted again so his ear was right against the pounding pulse of Claude's heart. If Claude could will it, he'd make his heart stop right there. Maybe Byleth wouldn't notice.

"Claude... your heartbeat..." Too late. Byleth shifted again, his arms also curling close for more warmth. "It's so loud."

"I know." Maybe he could fake it enough, playing it cool. Claude couldn't see Byleth's face, but he didn't want to look into those eyes right now. They saw everything. "You're uh, kinda close, Teach."

"... I like it." Byleth spoke quietly, so much that Claude almost missed it. Something else twisted in him. 

"Huh?" _You don't think this is weird? I'm getting worked up about you asking me for help, to be close..._ But then there couldn't be any chance that Byleth didn't know what he was doing, right? "You sure it's not... distracting?" Byleth hummed a little, again cuddling 

"It's you." Byleth said it so plainly, and Claude felt all his words immediately dry up in his throat. "... it got louder."

"You're doing this to me!" Claude retorted with a weak laugh, shifting slightly to finally take the hit and look down at Byleth, his friend, and see those curious eyes looking back up at him. Even in the dark, he could easily spot the sea green hue. It felt like they were staring into his soul. Gingerly, Byleth reached a hand up, palm brushing against his cheek before running over the beard. "Different, I know."

"You've changed so much," Byleth said wistfully, and reflexively Claude leaned into his touch with a quiet hum. 

"So have you." 

"Not really."

"You have," Claude insisted, grasping Byleth's hand in his. "You've changed so much since we first met. I never thought I'd get to see your smile and yet I did, and..." He breathed in, then out. "It's every bit as beautiful as I'd imagined." That was an indirect confession. So maybe Claude did figure out why he was so tense. There was something so mesmerizing about Byleth, and... Stuck like this, he couldn't avoid it. _I can't lose him again._

"Yours is the same," Byleth said. "When it's real." This got a much more relaxed laugh out of Claude.

"When it's real? You wound me, Byleth. My smiles are always real, 100 percent genuine von Riegan charm." 

"Not always," Byleth continued, pensive in face of the joke. "You stretch yourself a lot for everyone. Your smile often is... empty." He escaped Claude's hold, again touching his face, locking their eyes. "But it's different when you mean it." Claude wanted to rebuke, to say that he meant it, but the lie wouldn't move. Byleth's fingers combed into his hair, straightening out the curls, and Claude was left speechless. That steady gaze, the touch that left lightning sparks over his skin, how warm Byleth felt...

"Byleth?" Claude could only speak his name, suddenly feeling so small. The bed was too cramped. The room was cold. 

"You've actually smiled today." Byleth was undeterred. "Every time you looked at me."

"I always believed you were alive," Claude admitted. "I missed you."

"I'm sorry." He actually _apologized_ for this? Claude almost sat up in shock, tensing to move, but the other's hands soothed him to stay in this tight recline. 

"Please, don't be," He pleaded. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine, I–" _I ended up being unable to dream of a future without you. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and for you to not be there._ Claude bit down that embarrassing confession before it escaped. "All that matters is you're back. And I won't let you slip away again." Byleth hesitated for a moment, but soon that small, breath taking smile appeared, and he moved until their foreheads touched. 

"I'm glad," Byleth murmured, his breath warm against Claude's face. "I won't leave you again." That hand stayed in his hair, while the other wandered, finding one of Claude's and raising it to his lips, placing a light kiss on his knuckles, and Claude's heart thudded hard. 

"Byleth, I–" It didn't feel real, but there was no point in holding back. "I love you, you know." 

"I love you too, Claude." Byleth's smile was so serene, leaving another feather light kiss on Claude's hand, and he couldn't hold back a whine. 

"And you're already a tease," Claude hissed. Byleth blinked, staring oh so innocently, and Claude pulled him in for a proper kiss. Byleth melted into it immediately, soft and sweet, fingers tangling deeper into brown locks and for the first time in years Claude felt sheer euphoria just kissing him. If only this moment could last forever. 

When they broke away, Byleth let out a silent yawn, and Claude laughed softly. 

"You need a little more rest," Claude teased, draping an arm around Byleth's waist comfortably. "As do I."

"Wake me up in the morning." Byleth was serious, but he folded into Claude, falling back into his spot pressed up against the other man's chest, listening to the lively heart within. 

"I will," Claude promised. "I love you, Byleth." It felt better to say it again, more confidently. Drifting off, Byleth slurred something similar to "I love you" in response, quickly lulled to sleep. There still wasn't enough room on the bed, and everything was still too dusty, but Byleth was here. Claude could live with everything else.

He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, he only knew that the morning sun streamed in through dirty windows, waking Claude up with it. He was stiff, still curled up with Byleth, their positions hardly changing since last night. Instinctively he carded his fingers through Byleth's hair. The man looked so peaceful when asleep, it just felt wrong to wake him up. And the warmth... it was too persuasive.

_Forgive me, Byleth._ Claude sighed, sinking back into drowsiness. _We'll sleep a little longer._


End file.
